It isn’t as in your other dream—–
under a white bone-eyed moon
a green dragon quiet and tame;
you sleep with the Time Tower
crowned by detached diamonds…
This poem called Seven Nights with the Chinese Zodiac was written by Anna Yin, who earned the title of Mississauga’s Poet Laureate. She is an immigrant from China and a computer programmer. On November 6 at the Art Gallery of Mississauga, Yin held a book launch.
“This event is primarily a start-up launch for my new book, but I also want to use this opportunity to raise awareness about cancer,” said Yin. “I want my poetry to be a reassuring presence in times of need, and hopefully inspire others to be more compassionate about the world.”
She contributed to cancer charity because her sister died from cancer last year, and some of her friends are currently suffering from cancer.
Anna Yin was born in China and immigrated to Canada in 1999. She has authored five poetry books, including Wings toward Sunlight (2011), Inhaling the Silence (2013) and Seven nights with the Chinese Zodiac (2015). Yin has won a number of poetry awards, including the 2005 Ted Plantos Memorial Award, the 2010/2014 MARTY Literary Arts Awards and a 2013 CPAC Professional Achievement Award.
When I asked her why she didn’t choose to be a full-time poet, she told me, “I like computer programming very much because you can work on things independently. I developed the love for poetry later on, and it helped me to self-reflect.”
She thinks computer programming is also an art form. Similar to poetry, she can explore the design elements. With poetry, you need to search your inner self first, then you look outwards to connect with other people.
Yin combines her poetry with music. There was music and film at the launch so that everyone could get connected. It was to show that poetry isn’t just words, it’s also about music and visuals.
It was a wonderful experience, and I hope to see her again! I enjoyed performing the music pieces for her book launch. I hope that she has a new event soon, so you can also go buy and read her poetry!
